This course teaches the use of social science quantitative techniques, emphasizing applications of value to public sector analysts and scholars alike. Includes descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, cross-tabulation, bivariate regression and correlation, and multiple regression. Examines how to generate and interpret statistical analyses through use of SPSS.
This course will introduce participants to the characteristics and approaches to designing and conducting qualitative research projects in public, non-profit and non-governmental sectors. Students will gain hands-on experience in various qualitative methods and analysis techniques while carrying out a research project related to their area of interest.
The ability of public officials to manage budgets, distribute resources and predict costs is crucial to a community's well-being. This course gives students a solid grounding in the concepts, terminology and techniques in the art and science of public sector budgeting and financial administration. Students use real world examples to analyze various approaches to public budgeting and revenue planning, evaluate and problem solve fiscal activities in governmental units, and gain "hands-on" budget preparation and presentation experience.
This course examines the role of the government as defined by economic theory in the creation of public policy. It will focus on concepts from micro and macro-economics such as externalities, public goods, public education, income redistribution, welfare programs and tax policy to understand policy problems including issues that affect subnational governments and the local community.
Health care policies can have a profound effect on quality of life. Accessibility, cost, and quality of health care; safety of food, water, and environment; the right to make decisions about our health: these issues (and more) are vitally tied to health care policies. This course presents an introduction to health policy, i.e., the various ways in which the government plays a role in health and in the provision of health care and provides a framework for understanding the social, political and economic dimensions of health policy. The courses introduces the policy-making and legal system of the United States, builds on foundational information about the organization of the health care system in the U.S., and highlights issues in health policy including environmental health policy, an overview of major health care reforms (e.g., the Affordable Care Act), key economic considerations (e.g., finance and budgeting, public and private costs), pharmaceutical policy, injury prevention, and aging and long-term care.
This course is designed to introduce students to health communication theory, research, and practice. This course will blend traditional elements of communication theory and practice to external communities (public relations) and internal communities (human relations). The primary course objective involves providing you with a solid framework for conducting health communication campaigns, including planning, implementation, and evaluation. The course will focus on the health communication process as well as the production of communications. More specifically, we examine the fundamentals of public health communication; discover the vital role that public health communication plays in the success of new health care delivery structures, the implementation of health care reform and the adoption of advances in prevention, health promotion and emergency preparedness; and explore the latest public health communication innovations, tools, technologies, research and strategies.
This course will use cases that will give students the opportunity to practice applying knowledge they have already acquired to real world public health judgments, as well as learn from the knowledge and experiences of others. The cases will cover a wide variety of public health directing, coordinating and leadership situations in a diversity of settings and typically have no clear right or wrong answers. It is expected that each case will draw from many of the disciplines taught in the program.
Health policy is examined from an economic perspective. Basic fiscal and economic theories and their relationships to the structure and function of the U.S. healthcare system are explored. Alternative health care systems and health care reforms are also evaluated.
The purpose of this course is to aid students in understanding the process of managing public service organizations, and thus enhance their management and leadership skills for use in the public sector. The course provides students with the tools needed to diagnose and solve organizational problems, to influence the actions of individuals, groups, and organizations, and to lead high-performing, successful public service organizations.
Nonprofit marketers face unique marketing challenges—from deficient resources for adequately addressing marketing needs to a general lack of understanding of the power of marketing. The course will address these and other challenges of nonprofit sector marketers, providing students with an introduction to marketing theory. It will also equip students with practical experience in developing a strategic marketing plan, influencing the attitudes and behaviors of diverse stakeholders, leveraging social media and other emerging technologies, and other skills relevant to nonprofit marketers.
In order to be successful, nonprofit organizations require strong leadership from their Board of Directors. The board responsibility is to oversee the effectiveness of management policies and decisions, including the execution of its strategies. Students in this course will learn the roles and responsibilities of the board, including its paramount duties, and how board accountability by a nonprofit's internal and external stakeholders requires a fully engaged and active board of directors who manage the organization. Students will also discuss how they may increase board members’ commitment to the mission and purpose of the organization, and how boards must be active and engaged to fulfill their legal and governance duties.
This course covers the fundamentals of effective resource development (i.e., fundraising) for nonprofit organizations. This course will examine the parameters within which nonprofit managers raise funds; the historical, organizational, legal, and ethical contexts of fundraising for nonprofit organizations; the philosophy of philanthropy in the U.S. and the various motivations for giving; and, practical guidelines for identifying potential donors, handling the “ask,” providing donor recognition, and utilizing your board effectively for fundraising purposes.
This course is intended for non–lawyers such as public planners or government administrators who wish to understand how the law affects the operation of governments as it relates to issues including planning, budgeting, land use and zoning, the environment, infrastructure development, social welfare, and healthcare.
This course examines contemporary public policy issues through the lens of popular culture with particular emphasis on the portrayal of issues in television, film, and music. This course is intended to develop policy-specific knowledge, critical thinking about policy issues and their characterization by media outlets, and research skills.
This course will help to develop the skills necessary for students to have the knowledge to be able to develop a solid funding grant proposal. This course is ideal for students who pursuing careers in nonprofit and government agencies and are seeking to develop the skills needed to become an effective grant writer. Additionally, this course is ideal for students who work with and/or supervise grant based programs or agencies and who wish to acquire the knowledge of how the grant process works.
This course will review selected topics in public policy and public administration to be studied in relationship to business, the non-profit sector and the public sector. A wide variety of topics will be available to study including at prioritization, program development, agenda building, interest group and elite influence, program implementation, and program assessment.
